Obesity has become an epidemic, especially here in the USA, and there are more overweight people than ever before. Being overweight contributes to so many health problems and diseases. To make things worse, there are so many fad diets out there that claim to help you to lose weight, but instead, only make you gain more weight.
There is so much controversy and information about what works and what doesn’t, that it can make your head spin.
Losing weight doesn’t have to be difficult, and it doesn’t have to be a science. Anyone can begin to lose weight if they just follow my diet, and combine this with my exercise plan. Below are 5 tips for healthy weight loss, which if you follow can turn into long term weight loss. There is no quick fix, but we can become a healthy weight over time with the right steps.
Tip #1 – You might have a gluten issue!
Gluten is potentially one of the most dangerous ingredients, and yet is one of the most used ingredients in foods. Most people don’t even know that they have gluten intolerance, but just because you aren’t a full blown celiac, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have a gluten sensitivity.
Gluten causes all sorts of problems in the body, especially in the digestive system. It causes inflammation in the body, skin issues (including acne), weight gain, headaches and arthritis. Make sure to read all labels, anything that has wheat in it contains gluten. There are lots of gluten free options available in grocery stores, so try cutting out gluten for a week and see if you notice any positive effects.
Tip#2 – Stop Eating Refined Sugar
Refined sugar is one of the main causes to obesity, diabetes and other diseases in the body. It is processed, has absolutely no nutritional value, and is highly addictive. Refined sugar is in almost all packaged foods. Soda alone has almost 4+ tablespoons of sugar per can, and when you average it out that most Americans drink 3 – 4 cans per day, that’s a minimum of 16 tablespoons of sugar for one person.
All that sugar equals empty calories, which equals a larger waistline. Packaged foods also contain sugar, and companies use other names to disguise it. Other names for sugar can include Dextrose, maltose, fruit concentrate, high fructose corn syrup, dextrin, brown rice syrup and sucrose are just to name a few.
I suggest using natural sugar from fresh fruits, and avoiding all chemical sugars at all costs.
Tip #3 – Get Your Body Moving
Our bodies are designed to move, not to sit around and watch TV. More pain comes from not moving our bodies then it does from moving them. There are many people who have to work at a desk all day, which means they aren’t getting enough daily exercise.
The good news is that adding exercise to your day is easier than you may think. Waking up 20 minutes earlier and take a short power walk in the morning, if you have a dog you can take them with you. At lunch time you can walk to the restaurant instead of driving if it is close enough.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator, play in the yard with your kids, join the gym, buy a couple of exercise videos, or take a class like yoga or dance class 3 or 4 times per week.
As you probably already know I have an exercise app that is completely FREE, all you need to do is choose your body shape (Click here)
No matter what you decide to do, just get moving and keep moving. Your body will feel better, you will feel better, and you will lose weight.
Tip #4 – Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals and nutrients that our bodies need in order to be healthy. When we eat foods that lack these nutrients, then our bodies continue to want more food, hence why we still want to eat even after a big meal.
Our bodies aren’t hungry; they are deprived of nutrients needed in order to function properly.
Another important part of fruits and vegetables is their fiber. Fiber helps to clean out our colon, and keep our digestive systems running smoothly. Most Americans are overweight because they don’t eat enough fiber in their diets, and food sits in their stomachs and colons unable to get out.
If you’re not having at least one bowl movement per day, then you are not eating enough fiber.
Get my FREE diet plan simply choose your body shape to get started (click here)
Tip #5 – Drink More Water
This should be number one everyone’s list of things to make sure they do on a daily basis. Water is so important in our diets, and yet most Americans don’t drink hardly any water.
Instead, they fill themselves with soda, sugary fruit juices (the kinds that you buy at the stores, not fresh juices you make at home) and coffee. Our bodies are made up of 75 percent water, and we lose around 1 liter of water daily. Replacing water daily is so important to not only your health, but also your waist line.
Most times when we feel hungry, it is our body’s way of asking for water. Water flushes out toxins and acids that build up from the foods we eat, and everyday living like pollution.
Water keeps our skin healthy and glowing, and it helps to keep our weight down. The rule of thumb is 8 glasses of water per day, but it really should be tailored to each individual person. People who exercise more, and are generally more active, will need more water per day.
